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Two rides for Ryan on French Derby day
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Diego has very fair claims in the feature
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Smart filly Ribaltagaia needs to step up
He is drawn 11, which could have been better, but it could have been worse. You tend to need plenty of luck around here wherever you are situated. If you just concentrate on what he has achieved, then he has a very fair claim in here after finishing fourth in the French Guineas.
A Frankel half-brother to Broome and Point Lonsdale , this longer trip will suit and he comes into the race in good form. He should go well, but it's clearly a very open race and most of these are in the same pile form-wise.
The Churchill colt Fast Tracker looked good here last time and I imagine he could have a say, but there are possible winners wherever you look.
She finished fourth in the Boussac on only her second start and she seemed to return to that level of form when beating Cetera and some other decent, in-form rivals here last time. She probably needs to step forward again, for all it's a small field, but she looks a smart filly.
Timeform Verdict on Diego Velazquez
Ryan Moore is bidding to win a second French Derby, 10 years after he first struck with The Grey Gatsby, and he is aboard a big player in Diego Velazquez who shaped very well from his wide draw when fourth in the French 2000 Guineas on his return.
Diego Velazquez, a winner of his first two starts, had failed to meet expectations when only sixth in the Futurity Trophy on his final outing as a juvenile, but he had excuses at Doncaster where he was possibly upset by a stalls incident involving stablemate Battle Cry in the box next door.
He got back on the right track on his return at Longchamp where he was beaten less than a length in fourth after sticking to his task well in the closing stages, leaving the impression that he'll benefit from the step up to a mile and a quarter and beyond, something that his pedigree backs up (he's closely related to very smart stayers Broome and Point Lonsdale).
In terms of ratings, he ran to a similar level Ghostwriter did when fourth in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.
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